The 7 Highest Rated Mattresses for Heavier People in 2018

Choosing a new mattress is somewhat complicated, and your weight plays an important role. You will need to take into account firmness, support, cooling and many different factors. If you weigh a few extra pounds, there are beds specifically designed with this in mind, and we will talk more about that later in this article.

Now, understanding that the terms “overweight” or “heavy,” for instance, could be slightly subjective and generalized. For the current guide, those terms will mean the sleeper is over 200 pounds. Of course, not every sleeper over 200 pounds is going to be obese. Some people are just larger than average. This would help us keep things as simple as possible and make it easier to understand.

All of the beds mentioned below are capable of supporting no less than 300 pounds, and a few of the options could support up to 450 pounds. Now, as we are past these technicalities, let’s go right ahead and review our top seven mattresses ideal for heavy people.

In a hurry? Check our editor’s choice picks:

Editor's Choice

Loom & Leaf

Our Rating:

Eco-Friendly Memory Foam

15 Year Warranty

Best Value

Leesa

Our Rating:

Avena and Memory Foam

10 Year Limited Warranty

Helix Sleep

Our Rating:

Dynamic Foam, Pocketed Microcoils and Polyfoam

10 Year Warranty

Top 7 Picks For Heavier Sleepers Reviewed

Loom & Leaf (Top Pick)

It goes without saying that Loom & Leaf is an established brand on the market and it’s patronized by one of the companies which disrupted the entire industry – Saatva. This is a mattress with a layered composition which takes advantage of different, high-quality foams structured in a way that provides tremendous support, flawless comfort and enhanced overall stability.

With all this said, it’s also important to note that this is a hybrid mattress which combines high-quality Visco-Elastic memory foam, cooling gel, conforming gel foam as well as high-density support foam throughout the construction to provide the ultimate support without compromising your comfort, regardless of your weight.

Additionally, it comes with a very soft and breathable cover which is made of organic cotton, and it’s quilted. That’s what brings a beautiful, soft and cooling sleeping surface. For a reason, it’s our #1 pick and the ultimate mattress for any sleeper who is a bit bigger or overweight.

PROS

Amazing comfort

Supports heavy sleepers without any issue

Enhanced breathability

Perfect support and medium firmness

CONS

It takes a bit more to decompress

Leesa (Fantastic Value)

Leesa is the brand which offers tremendous value for the money you spend. If you are looking for a high-end bed for heavy people and you don’t want to spend a fortune, this is as good as it gets. Thanks to its direct-to-consumer, online selling policy, Leesa is capable of delivering high-end quality at an affordable price.

The technology behind it is also stellar. It takes advantage of a proprietary material for the comforting top layer called Avena foam. It reveals latex-like capabilities, but it is far more durable and lasting. The foam is intended to deliver extraordinary comfort and enhanced cooling.

The next two layers are made of memory and support foam to deliver the necessary stability alongside contouring capabilities which are required for proper pressure relief and support. The mattress brings universal levels of comfort as the company wants to cater to as many people as it’s possible. Even though it’s only 10″ thick, it’s great for heavy sleepers due to Avena foam properties and support.

PROS

Awesome value for your money

Serious comfort, firmness, and overall feel

High-quality materials

Comprehensive layered composition

CONS

Off-gassing smell comes across rather hard for the first few days

Helix Sleep

Now, the Helix brand brings something quite exciting and particularly innovative. Unlike other companies who provide pre-made solutions on the market, Helix has undertaken a different approach. They give their customers the option to fully customize the main characteristics such as firmness, feel and support.

With this said, you can make the bed according to your personal preferences, which is something particularly convenient, especially if you are overweight (or an overweight couple).

On the other hand, the materials are of superior quality. They include poly-foam, micro-coils, and different density memory foam. The overall responsiveness is rather impressive, the bounce is good, and the cooling is pronounced. It’s an excellent option for those of you who’d want to personalize your mattress according to your preferences.

PROS

Customizable functionalities and capabilities

High-end materials

Great layered composition for enhanced support and comfort

Affordable prices

CONS

Requires you to be aware of the metrics in advance

Amerisleep Independence

The Independence bed is a model that’s pretty much brand new. It’s a 14-inch, bulky solution that’s designed to deliver excellent softness, responsiveness, cooling, and breathability. It is excellent for heavier people as it provides enough foam above the bio-core support foundation so that their weight could be absorbed and compressed efficiently and beneficially.

The materials include Bio-Pur+ memory foam which offers expressed softness, cooling and splendid pressure relief, Activus foam – this is another proprietary foam which intends to deliver perfect contouring as well as proper responsiveness.

The result is quite interesting – this is a slightly soft mattress but unlike the majority of its counterparts, it’s also very responsive – this is something to look forward to. It’s a bit more expensive, but if you are willing to spend some additional money, it’s a great option.

PROS

High responsiveness from a soft, memory foam mattress

Increased breathability and coolness

Serious support and pressure relief

CONS

It is a bit more expensive than you’d expect

Might be bulkier than most people would prefer

The Alexander Signature Hybrid

This is another hybrid which is great for heavy people. Brought by Nest Bedding, a reliable manufacturer, the mattress is one of the best options on the market and it certainly delivers serious value at the affordable price point that it’s introduced.

It delivers luxurious quality, style, performance, and design. Its construction is excellent for people who are a bit heavier. This is thanks to the 7-inches foundation layer of pocketed coils. It’s going to deliver the necessary deep compression support to support the excessive weight.

The other layers are made of gel memory foam, regular foam as well as from patented, Smart Foam which is used in the transitional layer for enhanced support and comfort.

PROS

Innovative construction

Comprehensive and high-end quality of the materials

Affordable price tag for the quality it offers

CONS

It does have a slightly pronounced bouncy feel to it because of the coils

Live and Sleep Resort Ultra (Great Budget Option)

If you’re looking for a budget buy, you’ve come to the right place. The Live and Sleep mattress is only available online, and it offers tremendous value for your cash.

Starting off with the cover, it’s made out of breathable materials, and it feels very light indeed. It is also resilient, and it is going to snap back quite quickly back to its shape when you are moving on the bed.

The construction is simple – there are two layers of foam, the top one is 2.5 inches, and it’s made of regular memory foam while the bottom one is made out of polyurethane foam and it is 7.5 inches thick. This is something that you ought to account for. The mattress feels great, it absorbs your weight and distributes it evenly, which is incredible for overweight sleepers.

PROS

It offers nice weight distribution

The deep compression support is solid

The contouring is expressed

CONS

It is not as responsive

It might retain heat quite a bit

Sleep Innovations Shiloh 12-inch

Just like the previous product, this one also has two different layers. The first one is designed to deliver the comfort made out of memory foam, and it is 2.5 inches thick. The second layer is a total of 9.5 inches, and it is intended to ensure that you receive the proper support, which is essential for a heavier person (or heavier couple).

With this said, it is designed to relieve pain off of your back and joints, and it is going to eliminate pressure points between your body and the mattress’ surface itself.

The product is made of high-quality materials, and it is going to bring a serious value for the money.

PROS

Convenient construction

Proper pressure relief and support

Enhanced comfort

CONS

It seems particularly bulky

What Makes a Good Mattress for Heavy, Larger or Overweight People?

It goes without saying that there are quite a few things that you’d have to consider if you want to find the perfect big guy or tall person bed. Due to their increased weight, you will need additional support. The challenge is that it shouldn’t impact the comfort. Here are a few key considerations to account for.

Firmness

Generally speaking, the firmness level should be decided based on the type of sleeper that you are. The majority of heavy people prefer to have a mattress which is medium or medium firm. If you look at the unified firmness scale, you would be searching for something in the range between 4 and 7 out of 10.

The most important factor to account for when it comes to the firmness is your weight with respect to the feel. The heavier you are, the more pronounced and deeper the mattress will sink and hug you. A lot of people associated this sinking with increased softness. The difference in the weight will be the most impactful.

So, for example, if you were a 150-pound man you’d feel a mattress that’s 8/10 on the firmness scale to be indeed firm. However, if you weighed 250 pounds, the sinking would be far more pronounced, and the mattress would feel genuinely softer. The general rule of thumb is to add about 1 to 2 inches of sinkage if you are over 250 pounds.

Thickness

Even though this is something rather obvious, a vast number of sleepers tend to overlook it. If you are under 200 pounds, a basic 10-inches mattress might easily be enough. However, if you weigh over 200 pounds, you might want to rely on a unit that’s at least 12 inches thick. The reason for this is the so-called deep compression support.

Now, to put this in simpler terms – every single mattress has a foundation layer, and it’s usually the thickest and firmest part of the bed. The heavier you are, the closer you’d come to this layer as the ones above it would sink.

With this said, when you reach this bottom layer, the mattress will feel firmer as this is the highest-density material in the composition. The goal is to refrain from reaching it as much as you can. That’s why you would want to add a few additional inches to the bed.

Cooling and Heat Distribution

This is just as crucial for a good night’s sleep as the other specifications that we’ve mentioned here. Proper heat distribution is vital for all sleepers, not only for those who weigh more. However, a lot of bigger people complain that they sleep hot. This is usually used to describe a bed which fails to ventilate properly.

This is an issue we commonly encounter in mattresses made out of memory foam. It retains heat. Unlike them, however, hybrid units are usually far better when it comes to heat dissipation and distribution. That would reduce the issues you might be having with temperature regulation. There are layers made of materials such as latex, gel or cooling materials that would deliver the necessary temperature control.

Edge Support

For anyone who is a bit bigger than usual, you need to see that it has proper edge support. Edge support is one of the most critical considerations for sex. We don’t want to fall off during the act, right? Apart from that, however, proper edge supports guarantees that you would be able to use the full surface of the bed.

It is especially important if you are sleeping with a partner. If your husband or wife likes to spread through on the entire bed and you are left with a tiny corner, you need to make sure that the edges are capable of supporting your weight. The majority of memory foam options usually under-perform here, but if you opt for a contemporary hybrid, you’d probably be good to go.

Materials and Mattress Types

The type of material that’s used for the making of the bed is also going to have a serious impact on the way it sleeps heavier people. Let’s have a look at the most commonly used ones.

Memory Foam

Memory foam is an excellent option most sleepers. The reason for this is that it could be either very soft/firm or it could bring a well-balanced overall appeal. They are supportive and are known to be able to considerably relieve pressure points by delivering consistent and even support which would contour your body in a significant way.

Memory foam is the typical choice of people who prefer to sleep on their side. However, make sure that you look out for units which explicitly mention the way they have addressed the thermal regulation issue as memory foam tends to retain a lot of heat.

The material is appropriate for heavy sleepers because it allows serious adjustment capabilities and it is designed to contour your body conveniently.

Innerspring

Innerspring beds could be either very good or terrible for people with excessive weight. If the mattress is of lower quality, this could generate a substantial amount of pressure points. Our genuine advice here would be for you to look for coil-on-coil construction. These use two layers of coils and they substantially improve the deep compression support, comfort, and the overall feel.

They usually come with better edge support which is something to consider. If you like to sleep closer to the edge, this would be a remarkable advantage.

Hybrids

The definition of a hybrid mattress is one which uses at least two different core materials. They can use both coils and various layers of foam. These types of beds bring a lot of the same benefits that innerspring ones tend to deliver. These include improved airflow, proper edge support, a lot more bounce and an expressed push-back which tends to alleviate a lot of pressure.

Hybrids usually take advantage of memory foam or latex. It results in a product designed to minimize the overall flaws of each core material intentionally.

So, for instance, if you don’t like the lack of temperature control with memory foam beds, you can opt for a mattress made of one layer of coils, one of gel-infused memory foam and one of latex. They deliver the enhanced support of the innerspring mattress, the coolness of gel, the responsiveness of latex and the contouring capabilities of memory foam.

Latex

Latex offers excellent cooling and comfort. The reason for this is that it doesn’t absorb the heat in the same way the majority of memory foam units tend to do. Also, it also offers decent bounce and expressed responsiveness.

Now, it’s also true that latex beds deliver less contouring and “hug” compared to memory foam, which is the main reason for which it is almost never used as a standalone solution. It is usually combined with memory foam to draw the value of it while delivering its benefits at the same time.

Do I Need a Heavy Duty Bed Frame?

The truth is that a heavy duty bed frame is something optional. The majority of frames would support substantial weight. The bed frame has a lot to do with your overall sleeping experience, and it most definitely shouldn’t be disregarded.

With this said, some of the benefits of having a heavy-duty bed frame include:

Powerful Construction

Enhanced suitability for a special mattress

Sliding-free performance

Extra strong support

Noise-free and others of the kind.

Conclusion

It goes without saying that choosing a good quality bed for overweight (fat) people will improve your sleep experience a lot. It would deliver the necessary amount of comfort, support, and overall feel to enhance your sleeping and to make sure that you stay healthy.

With this said, our top pick is unquestionably the Loom & Leaf as they’ve managed to deliver a solution which addresses all the challenges of heavier people.

However, it is also important to note that all of the reviewed beds have their strong and relevant points. They all have pros and cons but, in general, you can’t go wrong with any of them. It all depends on your personal preference and requirements.

Suggested Reading

Welcome to The Sleep Critic website! My name is John Steelman and this blog is run by three awesome contributors: Myself (John Steelman), Patrick Kennedy, and Lisa Allen.If this is your first time on our site we encourage you to browse through our articles...